python-code-style

Python Code Style & Documentation

Consistent code style and clear documentation make codebases maintainable and collaborative. This skill covers modern Python tooling, naming conventions, and documentation standards.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up linting and formatting for a new project
• Writing or reviewing docstrings
• Establishing team coding standards
• Configuring ruff, mypy, or pyright
• Reviewing code for style consistency
• Creating project documentation

Core Concepts

1. Automated Formatting

Let tools handle formatting debates. Configure once, enforce automatically.

2. Consistent Naming

Follow PEP 8 conventions with meaningful, descriptive names.

3. Documentation as Code

Docstrings should be maintained alongside the code they describe.

4. Type Annotations

Modern Python code should include type hints for all public APIs.

Quick Start

# Install modern tooling
pip install ruff mypy

# Configure in pyproject.toml
[tool.ruff]
line-length = 120
target-version = "py312"  # Adjust based on your project's minimum Python version

[tool.mypy]
strict = true

Fundamental Patterns

Pattern 1: Modern Python Tooling

Use ruff as an all-in-one linter and formatter. It replaces flake8, isort, and black with a single fast tool.

# pyproject.toml
[tool.ruff]
line-length = 120
target-version = "py312"  # Adjust based on your project's minimum Python version

[tool.ruff.lint]
select = [
    "E",    # pycodestyle errors
    "W",    # pycodestyle warnings
    "F",    # pyflakes
    "I",    # isort
    "B",    # flake8-bugbear
    "C4",   # flake8-comprehensions
    "UP",   # pyupgrade
    "SIM",  # flake8-simplify
]
ignore = ["E501"]  # Line length handled by formatter

[tool.ruff.format]
quote-style = "double"
indent-style = "space"

Run with:

ruff check --fix .  # Lint and auto-fix
ruff format .       # Format code

Pattern 2: Type Checking Configuration

Configure strict type checking for production code.